Still a slow jogger but I'm improving

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Yesterday at the gym, I got on the treadmill and started jogging 4 MPH. Usually, when I'm working out on the machines, I do 10 minutes on three different ones. What was different yesterday, was that I ended up jogging 4 MPH on the treadmill for 20 minutes and barely broke a sweat. Given my hate/hate relationship with running, I found this pretty remarkable.

What it means is I'm getting fitter and yesterday I discovered measurable results of my increased fitness. Before, the thought of getting on the treadmill and doing any sort of jogging seemed to be too much. Now, I believe a 4 MPH pace is doable, not just for one mile, but two or even three. Granted, that's still a slow pace, but for turtles like me, it's doable.

My next goal is to get on that treadmill and see if I can jog 4.5 or 5 MPH for 20 minutes.

I did jog 5K once this summer, but it took me an hour and it was anything but fun. Maybe if I design my own couch to 5K, I can work up to doing it again incrementally and in a way that's more enjoyable.

I always hated running when I was in high school, but one of these days I may give it a try again. I may like it better if I'm just competing with myself and not lagging behind the rest of the class with the gym teacher blowing her whistle and yelling at me. 1526 days ago

MOBYCARP
When I spoke with my doctor about running last year, she said that anyone who doesn't have an injury or medical condition can train to run a 5K. They may not run it fast, but they can run it. And no matter how slow you run that 5K, you're lapping the people who stay on the couch.

If gearing up to run 5K is a serious goal, designing your own program is a good thing to try. You can start by looking at the various 5K training programs, then modify them to suit your needs and preferences. What most of them have in common is, they call for training 3 days a week, on non-consecutive days; and they build gradually in intervals of Walk X minutes, Run Y minutes where X and Y get more and more challenging as the training progresses.

But seriously, if running a 5K was "anything but fun," running might not be the best form of exercise for you. Running isn't for everyone. If it's no fun for you, perhaps some other form of exercise will suit you better. Maybe Zumba, or spinning classes, or something else that I'd absolutely hate. I'm guessing you'd like something I'd hate because . . . I love running.1526 days ago